Iron Monger costume

I started working on an Iron Monger costume about a month ago, though I haven't had too much time to work on it due to travelling for work. But I have done plenty of sketches and planning, as well as a build of the right leg structure and the arc reactor.

I started off making the foot lifts whose design I borrowed from an Italian cosplayer named Prizmatec Cosplay whose amazing Hulkbuster suit has been an inspiration for my Iron Monger.

I used 2 3/8" pieces of wood with 10 pieces of eva foam sandwiched in between the wood. They are held together with 7" bolts with washers and wing nuts (to tighten or loosen if need be). I built in strapping and buckles to wrap over the top of the foot and also glued a strap/buckle into the heel of some comfy tennis shoes to attach to the heel section. The heel and toe section is separated and held together by a hinge which allows for the foot to flex while walking. In all, the lifts provide around 6.5" of lift. I am already 6'3" so after this section, I am standing at close to 6'10". Though after everything is built, I am expecting the suit to be around 9' tall.

I then started to build a shell over the foot lifts that connects to the shin and thighs. Using layered cardboard for added strength, I made a strap that goes around my calf and around my thigh that's held together by a buckle. The knee rotates and allows for flexing. The PVC pipes on the side will be for the pistons that move the foot and knee from the movie version. Though these will just be for eye candy. They are just two differing diameters of PVC pipe with the smaller diameter inside the other that will slide up and down as i walk, and will rotate at the connecting points on the upper thigh, knee, and foot.

I am planning the legs be separate from each other and the rest of the suit. The chest, back and head/shoulders will all be mounted on to a MOLLE ruck frame that is light and comes with wide shoulder pads/straps and a waist belt/kidney pads. I used to ruck with these when I was in the Army and they were comfortable and able to hold a lot of weight, as well as being modular with all the slats built into the frame. The arms will also be mostly indpendent of suit, though I am debating about adding a strap/buckle above the shoulder bell (hidden away) to all the suit to hold some of the weight. The majority of the arm weight I plan on holding with forearm and bicep straps (accessible to a hatch built into the skinning) and a cross bar between the forearm slats for me to grip on to. In the Army, I was able to ruck with well over 100lbs for several miles in full gear. I don't see the weight of the chest/back/hatch getting anywhere near that.

I have drawn up a way to move the helmet and upper shoulders back to reveal me inside using a linear actuator and battery mounted to the ruck frame. Since the hatch will close with me inside, I want a way to see without making an opening since my eye level will not be the same as the helmet's eye level. So I will be using a Raspberry Pi along with their camera module and 4" LCD sceen shield. The camera module will be mounted externally facing forward and the LCD will display it so I can see in front of me so I don't crush any small children. I also plan on mounting a speaker into the helmet in the mouth area that will be connected to a headset (via 3.5mm cable) so that my voice will be amplified and I can tell said small children to move

The arc reactor was built using casted resin rings, copper wiring, various sink and drain parts from Lowe's and Neopixel rings and Gemma boards from Adafruit programmed using Arduino IDE (my first time soldering, programming and using Neopixels/Arduino stuff). I chose to go with a red color instead of the blueish/white from the movie. I felt the red looked more sinister and wouldn't be too bright for any cameras taking photos. I will also mount individual Neopixels/Gemma board inside the helmet to make the eyes glow red to match the arc reactor. And surrounding the arc reactor is just a satin nickel recessed lighting mount also purchased from Lowe's that happened to fit everything nicely.

Lastly, instead of making a helmet from scratch, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a great deal for the officially licensed 1:1 scale Iron Monger helmet based off the movie version. There were only 250 made apparently and I bought it for way less than half of the original purchase price. very lucky indeed. I know using a collectible in a costume might be sacrilegious, but it will hopefully help with scaling of the rest of the suit. I just hope it isn't TOO big. Judging by the picture my fiance sent me of the helmet when it came in, it might be. But if it is, I can just recess into the suit/shoulders to help take the proportions down a little.

I plan on mounting a small, model plane 12v battery to power the linear actuator. The arc reactor is powered off of 3xAAA batteries with an On/Off switch. The same goes for the eyes in the helmet. The Raspberry Pi will be powered by a 10,000 mAh lithium ion battery mounted inside the suit. I will also mount some fans inside the suit, though I haven't decided which fans to use and their power source. Once I have completed the structure/frame for the chest/back, I will decide that.

And here's a video of me walking in the foot lifts: [video]https://www.facebook.com/TitanCosplay/videos/455953777916496/[/video]
[video]https://www.facebook.com/TitanCosplay/videos/451201375058403/[/video]

I apologize for the long and massive first post, but this is my first full body costume and I try to plan as much stuff out as possible in advance. I expect to make a lot of mistakes on this build and any positive criticism is welcome!

Sounds like you've got a pretty good base to start off on. I wish you luck! It will be a long quest!

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A long quest indeed! I travel for work every other month for a month at a time. So I have limited time to work on it. Assuming all my plans fall into place and everything works as I think it would (doubtful) then I can expect it to be completed in October or November. But since I don't have a time limit or a con I'm planning on debuting it, I have as much time as I want to get it right.

Awesome material thusfar,Jason :thumbsup and how refreshing to see a different character being build for a change.
Since you have your plans all mapped out,I don't foresee any trouble while building your Iron Monger.
Good luck and enioy the creative process ! opcorn subscribed

Awesome material thusfar,Jason :thumbsup and how refreshing to see a different character being build for a change.
Since you have your plans all mapped out,I don't foresee any trouble while building your Iron Monger.
Good luck and enioy the creative process ! opcorn subscribed

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Thanks George! In cosplay, I try to do the less represented characters of DC and Marvel. I'm definitely enjoying the creative process and planning! Now I just need to sweat it out in my garage and build the * thing!

This is looking full of potential already. There's always something exciting about seeing large scale builds like this.

Looking forward to seeing it come together, the opening helmet and the electronics systems will be really interesting and as George said you definitely seem to have it all worked out.

Looking forward to future updates.

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Thanks! I'm definitely looking forward to continuing work on the suit. I get back home on Tuesday from a month long work trip. I will be posting update photos of adding the Neopixel LEDs to the eyes of the helmet soon!

Hi Jason, I have made many big builds, your looks like a great start. My only concern is vision, a camera offers only a flat perspective and zero peripheral vision. I tried it once and was very unhappy. Keep in mind, you must be able to look down and see any obstacles that might be in you path ( small children, cables, body parts). I look forward to seeing it done

Hi Jason, I have made many big builds, your looks like a great start. My only concern is vision, a camera offers only a flat perspective and zero peripheral vision. I tried it once and was very unhappy. Keep in mind, you must be able to look down and see any obstacles that might be in you path ( small children, cables, body parts). I look forward to seeing it done

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I have been thinking about adding more cameras to have more of a 180 view of whats in front of me. But not sure how many camera modules the Raspberry Pi 2 can hold. However, worse comes to worse and I can't see very well with the camera, then I can just lift up the hatch and use my own two eyes lol. I plan on walking around the con and taking pictures mostly with the hatch open, since I'll be dressed as Obadiah Stane inside. Then close it up for other occasions. And of course I always employ the help of a costume support specialist/aka Hero Support/aka my best friend or fiance walking with me so I can avoid small obstacles and children and what not lol

I have considered the triple camera myself..2 front, one back. All my tests were unsatisfactory for the forward view. While I still felt value in the rear view, witch I am planning on for mine. But I go to Vegas nightclubs. Lots of jerks who mess with you there. I am sure it will look awesome.

I have considered the triple camera myself..2 front, one back. All my tests were unsatisfactory for the forward view. While I still felt value in the rear view, witch I am planning on for mine. But I go to Vegas nightclubs. Lots of jerks who mess with you there. I am sure it will look awesome.

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My buddy is really pushing for me to get a rear camera added as well. So I can see anyone coming up behind me in case I step backwards or whatever. I can see the value in that for sure.

Oh drunk people in Vegas can't be fun while in costume. Typically the people in a con aren't so grabby with me. Well the guys aren't. I do get my butt pinched by women at cons a LOT. At least now my butt will be protected from such foolishness lol

Not much progress due to me moving into a new house and getting called for work out of town for a month. I'll be back home in October and my plan is to work on the backpack harness which holds up the chest, back, and hatch. But I did string up a couple Neopixel 8-LED sticks inside the Iron Monger helmet to make the eyes glow red.

The officially licensed, 1:1 Iron Monger helmet is massive. And might be too big for the scale I am trying to achieve. So I might have to just make my own, using the officially licensed one as something to build towards.

Not much progress due to me moving into a new house and getting called for work out of town for a month. I'll be back home in October and my plan is to work on the backpack harness which holds up the chest, back, and hatch. But I did string up a couple Neopixel 8-LED sticks inside the Iron Monger helmet to make the eyes glow red.

The officially licensed, 1:1 Iron Monger helmet is massive. And might be too big for the scale I am trying to achieve. So I might have to just make my own, using the officially licensed one as something to build towards.